Matric pupil killed in gang crossfire before his final exams

Heartbreaking.

Abdul Mutalib Alexander was due to start writing his final exams this week, but instead, he fell victim to gang crossfire in Lentegeur.

Alexander was on his way to buy a gatsby at a takeaway not far from his house when he was caught in gang crossfire when suspects in a white VW Golf opened fire on another group of young men. The young kids were caught in the middle.

According to the report, the young men tried to dodge the bullets, but the shooter would not stop. Alexander was rushed to hospital, but died a few hours later.

Mogamat Wilton, who lives in the area, told the paper:

“He never had a chance to run anywhere. These boys are known in the neighbourhood, they are such good boys. It’s very sad what happened to him. I heard he died at the hospital. Sy arme mense is sieke ge-stress.”

“The motive is unknown. No persons have been arrested. Police are investigating a case of murder and attempted murder.”

According to the latest crime stats, Lentegeur saw a decrease of 23.5% in the murder rate in the last financial year, with 39 cases reported. Attempted murder also decreased by 38.7% to 38 reported cases.

While that might be relatively low compared to the country’s murder hot spots, the death of innocent young people who have their whole lives ahead of them is one of the greatest travesties in the fight against crime.

Gang violence remains a massive issue in the Western Cape with almost 20% of murders in the region being attributed to gangs.